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Serpent's Skull #1
Pathfinder Adventure Path: The Serpent's Skull Part 1 - Souls for the Smuggler's Shiv (Pathfinder Adventure Path: Serpent's Skull) [Paperback] [2010] (Author) Judy Bauer, Christopher Carey, James L. Sutter
Only the Strong SurviveA deadly storm shipwrecks the passengers and crew of the Jenivere upon infamous Smuggler’s Shiv, an island off the coast of the jungle realm of Sargava. If they’re to have any hope of escaping the notorious pirates’ graveyard, the survivors will need to band together to outwit the isle’s strange beasts and legendary menaces. But can the PCs unite the swift-to-squabble castaways, especially when several seem to have mysterious goals of their own? And does Smuggler’s Shiv hide secrets even deadlier than its desperate denizens?This volume of Pathfinder Adventure Path launches the Serpent’s Skull Adventure Path and “Souls for Smuggler’s Shiv,” a Pathfinder RPG adventure for 1st-level characters, by James Jacobs.- A detailed look at the personalities marooned on Smuggler’s Shiv, by James Jacobs.- Revelations into the history, ways, and world-spanning schemes of the serpentfolk, by Clinton Boomer.- An introduction to the wisdom and dangers of the jungle in the Pathfinder’s Journal, by Robin Laws.- Five new monsters, by James Jacobs and F. Wesley Schneider.Cover art by Kerem Beyit
Paperback
First published August 5, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 21, 2024
Ecology Of The Serpentfolk is the highlight of this issue - very Appendix N style. As for the adventure itself, quite solid opening with lots of detail and plenty of room for roleplaying and battling evil vegepygmies and cannibals.
I'm making some big changes for our campaign, though. Instead of having dreams right away revealing the baddie, I'm going to run flashbacks to what the PCs were doing onboard the Jenevieve each time they meet an NPC. That lets them decide how they felt about each surviving castaway and gives them more of a personal reason to want to save / not save each one.
Rather than running the rest of the Serpent's Skull path, we're also going to switch into the Skulls & Shackles AP. When the group finally manages to flag another ship from Smuggler's Shiv, it will be the pirate ship Wormwood that "rescues" them and immediately press gangs the party into servitude.
I'm making some big changes for our campaign, though. Instead of having dreams right away revealing the baddie, I'm going to run flashbacks to what the PCs were doing onboard the Jenevieve each time they meet an NPC. That lets them decide how they felt about each surviving castaway and gives them more of a personal reason to want to save / not save each one.
Rather than running the rest of the Serpent's Skull path, we're also going to switch into the Skulls & Shackles AP. When the group finally manages to flag another ship from Smuggler's Shiv, it will be the pirate ship Wormwood that "rescues" them and immediately press gangs the party into servitude.
October 11, 2017
What's not to like?
Prehistoric terrors, undead and cannibals abound on Smuggler's Shiv. Oh, and the NPCs provided offer plenty of opportunity for role-playing as well.
The five NPCs presented as fellow ship-wreck survivors feel like real people with real aspirations. They can work with or against the players, depending on how the PCs interact with them. The island is almost a character unto itself, with creatures and encounters that feel logical and well thought out, although there does seem to be a slight overabundance of predators for such a relatively small island.
The dungeon slogging is kept to a minimum and used well within the framework of the story. It isn't just a dungeon with some rooms jammed into the adventure.
This seems like the perfect starting point, either for a full campaign or just a few short adventures on the island itself.
Prehistoric terrors, undead and cannibals abound on Smuggler's Shiv. Oh, and the NPCs provided offer plenty of opportunity for role-playing as well.
The five NPCs presented as fellow ship-wreck survivors feel like real people with real aspirations. They can work with or against the players, depending on how the PCs interact with them. The island is almost a character unto itself, with creatures and encounters that feel logical and well thought out, although there does seem to be a slight overabundance of predators for such a relatively small island.
The dungeon slogging is kept to a minimum and used well within the framework of the story. It isn't just a dungeon with some rooms jammed into the adventure.
This seems like the perfect starting point, either for a full campaign or just a few short adventures on the island itself.
April 15, 2016
A solid opening adventure to the Serpent's Skull AP. PC's are marooned on an island and to survive must fight natural and unnatural threats alike. Somewhat sandbox-y though very much contained. Plenty to explore despite (or because of?) the remote location. Easily customized for a stand-alone low-level adventure.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews